Créme fraische

Creme fraische is pronounced 'krem fresh'.  It is a thick and smooth soured cream with a rich and velvety texture. This matured cream has a nutty, slightly sour taste produced by culturing pasteurized cream with a special bacteria.  (However, in France where it originated, the cream is unpasteurized so it naturally contains the bacteria necessary to make creme fraische.)  The butterfat content does vary (usually 30%), as there is no set standard so you will find every brand tastes a little differently.

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Crème Fraiche is a thick, rich and velvety cultured cream with a nutty flavour that, in my opinion, is the quintessential accompaniment for fruit or any dish that suggests you use cream or sour cream. I do not know if it is available commercially as I have not seen it for sale or be able to obtain any.

I use it to make butter chicken, in salad dressings, with fruit and in dishes that call for cream. It is healthier for you than fresh cream and its shelf life is twice as long. Finally, it is absurdly simple to make.

I take a one litre of fresh cream and add 250 ml (or one cup) of Buttermilk. (Remember one fith buttermilk to four fifths fresh cream.)

Stir them together and leave on the kitchen counter for 36 to 48 hours in a jug covered with a cloth. You do not need refrigeration. There is so much bacteria culture in the  buttermilk that it will not spoil.

After 48 hours on the counter place the crème fraische in the fridge. The cream will thicken and have the consistency of sour cream with a lot less lactic acid flavour. 

You should not have to worry about leftovers because you will be inventing uses for this wonderful addition to your cuisine, especially in the summer months with the BBQ working overtime. For example, cut a peach in half, peel, sprinkle with brown sugar on one side (top side), a hint of fresh lemon and grill on the BBQ and serve with Crème Fraische.

Your leftover Crème Fraische  can be beaten until it turns to butter and you have a delicious sweet cultured butter that would cost you a fortune in a shop.

In future I will post recipes for buttermilk dressing.